The Horn of Africa InitiativeA new report from the World Bank Group analyzes the critical factors contributing to regional instability and vulnerability in the Horn of Africa and proposes how countrie... Show More +s with help from their international partners, can best address them. The report describes a new $1.8 billion initiative, which the World Bank will commit over the next 24 months, to boost economic growth and opportunity, reduce poverty, and spur business activity in the eight countries of the Horn region: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.“This new financing represents a major new opportunity for the people of the Horn of Africa to make sure they get access to clean water, nutritious food, health care, education, and jobs,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim on the first day of a joint visit with the UN and other partners to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. “There is greater opportunity now for the Horn of Africa to break free from its cycles of drought, food insecurity, water insecurity, and conflict by building up regional security, generating a peace dividend, especially among young women and men, and spurring more cross-border cooperation.”The proposed Horn of Africa initiative builds on and complements the large country and regional programs that the WBG and other partners such as AfDB, AUC, EU, IGAD and IsDB are already supporting in the HoA. It seeks to take advantage of growing regional cooperation on security and development, progress being made in countries like Somalia, and new economic opportunities (linked, for example, to oil and mineral discoveries).On October 27th, along with the World Bank Group announcement of $1.8 billion, the European Union announced that it would support the countries in the region with a total of around $3.7 billion until 2020, of which about 10 percent would be for cross-border activities; the African Development Bank announced a pledge of $1.8 billion over the next three years for countries of the Horn of Africa region; while the Islamic Development Bank committed to deploy up to $1 billion in new financing in its four member countries in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda). A further $2 billion could be provided by the Arab Coordination Group over the period 2015-2017.Challenges facing the HornAccording to the report, the Horn of Africa countries have some of the world’s fastest growing economies–Ethiopia, where GDP growth has been averaging 8.5%; Kenya, with an economy growing at nearly 6%; Uganda with 5.3% GDP growth in 2013; and Djibouti with 4.8% growth in 2012. Many of the countries are rich in natural resources, have vast untapped farmland and have business communities that are innovative and eager to contribute to their economies.But, many of the challenges are regional and demand cross-border collaborative solutions. The region is affected by ongoing conflicts within Somalia, between Sudan and South Sudan and between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Most recently, internal conflict has also broken out in South Sudan.Leading the trip to the Horn of Africa, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said, “The countries of the Horn of Africa are making important yet unheralded progress in economic growth and political stability. Now is a crucial moment to support those efforts, end the cycles of conflict and poverty, and move from fragility to sustainability. The United Nations is joining with other global and regional leaders to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach towards peace, security and development in the Horn of Africa.” Conflicts, along with famine, have triggered the displacement of millions of people within countries and across borders. Today, there are more than 2.7 million refugees and over six million internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Horn of Africa. The Dadaab camp, where Sarah lives, is the world’s largest refugee camp and Kenya’s third largest city.Border zones are a common conflict trigger. Resource scarcity, combined with rapid population growth, poverty, and underdevelopment and in border regions, worsens both communal conflict and civil wars. Border zones have not traditionally not been a major focus of development, as countries in the region have viewed them through a predominantly security lens. Normalizing relations between neighboring states is one of the greatest development challenges in the region.Poverty is rampant in the Horn. Although the percentage of people living on less than US$1 a day has declined, the number of poor people is increasing. According to the report, the Horn of Africa’s population doubles every 23 years, but with too little access to basic necessities such as clean water, food, health care and education. In many Horn countries, the majority of 14-19 year olds are unemployed. Improving their opportunities to develop vocational skills, obtain employment and shun extremism and organized crime is a huge priority. Greater attention must be given to women and children and victims of gender-based violence, especially in refugee camps, according to the report.Despite the challenges, countries in the Horn are working more closely together to solve both security and development problems and to strengthen economic ties with their neighbors. And, opportunities exist for enhanced peace and less poverty. For example, Ethiopia is exporting its abundant hydroelectric power, Kenya has improved its ICT infrastructure, and Djibouti is upgrading its ports and electricity grid. Show Less -

UN Secretary-General, WBG and IsDBG Presidents, and other Agency Heads Visit Region to Link Peace Efforts with Economic ProgressAddis Ababa, Ethiopia, October 27, 2014—Leaders of global and regional i... Show More +nstitutions today begin an historic trip to the Horn of Africa to pledge political support and major new financial assistance for countries in the region, totaling more than $8 billion over the coming years. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the World Bank Group (WBG) President, Jim Yong Kim, as well as the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group and high level representatives of the African Union Commission, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) are combining forces to promote stability and development in the Horn of Africa.On the first day of the joint trip, the World Bank Group announced a major new financial pledge of $1.8 billion for cross-border activities in a Horn of Africa Initiative that will boost economic growth and opportunity, reduce poverty, and spur business activity.The initiative covers the eight countries in the Horn of Africa -- Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.“This new financing represents a major new opportunity for the people of the Horn of Africa to make sure they get access to clean water, nutritious food, health care, education, and jobs,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “There is greater opportunity now for the Horn of Africa to break free from its cycles of drought, food insecurity, water insecurity, and conflict by building up regional security, generating a peace dividend, especially among young women and men, and spurring more cross-border cooperation.”Leading the trip to the Horn of Africa, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said "The countries of the Horn of Africa are making important yet unheralded progress in economic growth and political stability. Now is a crucial moment to support those efforts, end the cycles of conflict and poverty, and move from fragility to sustainability. The United Nations is joining with other global and regional leaders to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach towards peace, security and development in the Horn of Africa." The European Union also announced that it would support the countries in the region with a total of around $3.7 billion until 2020, of which about 10 percent would be for cross-border activities; the African Development Bank announced a pledge of $1.8 billion over the next three years for countries of the Horn of Africa region; while the Islamic Development Bank committed to deploy up to $1 billion in new financing in its four member countries in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda).The Horn is diverse, with some of the fastest growing economies and huge untapped natural resources. However, it also has many extraordinarily poor people and populations that are now doubling every 23 years. Unemployment is widespread among growing numbers of young people. Women, in particular, face huge obstacles because of their gender, including limited land rights, limited education, and social customs that often thwart their ability to pursue economic opportunity, and improve living conditions for their families and communities.Countries in the region are also vulnerable to corruption, piracy, arms and drug trafficking. Terrorism, and related money flows are significant and interconnected threats in the Horn of Africa. People-trafficking is also a growing problem in the region. However, there are commendable efforts being made through regional cooperation in parts of the Horn to tackle the root causes of these problems.The new financing announcement will support those efforts and comes on the first day of the trip led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to discuss peace, security, and resilience. In addition to the UN Secretary-General, other leaders making the trip are World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim; Islamic Development Bank Group President Ahmad Mohamed Ali; African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha; Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) Executive Secretary, Ambassador Mahboub Maalim; African Development Bank Group Special Advisor to the President, Youssouf Ouedraogo; Deputy Director General for Development and Cooperation, European Commission, Marcus Cornaro and European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Alexander Rondos.The World Bank Group said its new $1.8 billion packaging, which is in addition to its existing development programs for the eight countries, would create more economic opportunity throughout the region for some of the most vulnerable peoples, including refugees and internally displaced populations and their host communities. Wars and instability have generated more than 2.7 million refugees along with over 6 million internally displaced people. The Bank Group will also help the region build up its communicable disease surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment capacity.Many of these diseases are associated with or exacerbated by poverty, displacement, malnutrition, illiteracy, and poor sanitation and housing. Increased cross-border trade and economic activity in the Horn of Africa will necessitate simultaneous investments in strengthening disease control efforts and outbreak preparedness. The Bank Group will also support greater regional links between countries with regional transport routes, stronger ICT and broadband connectivity, more competitive private sector markets, increased cross-border trade, regional development of oil and gas through pipeline development, and the expansion of university and other tertiary education.The Bank Group’s pledge includes $600 million from the IFC, its private sector arm, which will support economic development in the countries of the Horn. IFC investments under the new Horn Initiative will include a regional pipeline linking Uganda and Kenya; greater investment in agribusiness expansion in storage, processing, and seeds; possible public-private partnerships in pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and transport; and financial advice and support to government and companies to improve business confidence and investment, access to markets, and access to private finance. Another $200 million is for guarantees against political risks from the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.A new World Bank Group paper forecasts that the Horn will undergo dramatic and lasting change when oil production starts in Kenya, Uganda, and possibly Somalia and Ethiopia. For its part, the European Union’s Horn of Africa approach is based on a strategic framework adopted in 2011. Support programs for 2014-2020 will be guided by the same analysis that underpins the World Bank’s Horn of Africa Initiative and will focus on the development challenges that must be tackled to unlock the region's considerable potential. EU support will mostly target the three pillars of the Horn of Africa Initiative: boosting growth, reducing poverty by promoting resilience, and creating economic opportunities.“The EU stands ready to further deepen its long-standing partnership with the Horn of Africa – helping to build robust and accountable political structures, enhancing trade and economic cooperation, financing peace keeping activities and providing humanitarian assistance and development cooperation,” said European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs prior to the trip. Other leaders on the trip said that the Horn of Africa region needs new development assistance in order to secure peace and opportunity to thrive and prevent future conflicts.The Islamic Development Bank Group said its new financing for Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda over 2015-2017 would focus on critical infrastructure development, food security, human development, and trade. A further $2 billion could be provided by the Arab Coordination Group over the same period.Commenting on this announcement, Islamic Development Bank Group President Ahmad Mohamed Ali said "The Horn of Africa is an important gateway to Africa and a bridge to Western Asia. Bringing stability and sustainable development to the Horn of Africa will undoubtedly significantly contribute to stability across the entire African continent. The Islamic Development Bank Group salutes this renewed focus on the Horn of Africa and stands ready to work with all partners, including the Arab Coordination Group, to support regional cooperation and the economic revival of the Horn of Africa, especially in its four member countries."“Given the complexity of the environment prevailing in the region, we must convince ourselves that it is not the financial means that will win in the Horn of Africa region, but our commitment and determination to act under the leadership of the countries in a united and coordinated manner,” said African Development Bank Group Representative, Youssouf Ouedraogo, Special Advisor to the President.African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson, Erastus Mwencha, added, “Our efforts to create peace and stability must be reinforced by investments in the peoples and countries of the Horn.”A new WBG regional study on the Horn of Africa released today at the start of the trip found reasons for hope for the region: “Despite the challenges the Horn of Africa faces, there are encouraging signs of political momentum for enhanced regional economic interdependence. Increasingly, Horn of Africa countries are members of the East African Community, IGAD in Eastern Africa, and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa. Some countries are showing strong political will to solve both security and development issues through increased cooperation—for example, many have sent troops to participate in peace-keeping efforts and have participated in diplomatic initiatives.”“This mission is the apex of an ambitious partnership approach that will provide the necessary instruments to strengthen the resilience agenda in the IGAD region," said IGAD Executive Secretary, Ambassador Mahboub Maalim.For the UN’s Ban and World Bank’s Kim, this is their third trip in 18 months together to Africa. In 2013, the two travelled to the Great Lakes and Sahel regions, drawing attention to the need to promote both peace and development. During the two previous trips, Kim pledged $2.7 billion for regional projects for programs to improve health, education, nutrition, access to energy, and job training. To see the results of these previous peace and development regional initiatives, visit: http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/brief/world-bank-group-sahel-and-great-lakes-initiatives To see the new WBG regional paper on the Horn of Africa, please visit: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/10/20316926/ World Bank Contacts: Phil Hay mobile: +1 (202) 492-7238, phay@worldbank.org In Addis Ababa: Gelila Woodeneh, work: +223 20 22 2283/22 3201, mobile: +223-76 04 7373, gwoodeneh@worldbank.orgUN Contacts: Vannina Maestracci, phone: 1-917-367-0293, mobile: 1-917-855-3143, maestracci@un.orgEU Contacts: Sven Ruesch, phone: +32 2 295 87 59, Sven.Ruesch@ec.europa.eu Islamic Dev Bank: Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u, phone: +966-12-646 6492; mobile: +966-59-11 88 844, myushau@isdb.org AUC Contacts: Habiba Mejri-Cheikh, habibam@africa-union.orgAfDB Contacts: Joel Serunkuma Kibazo, work: +225-20262024, mobile: +225-01229898, j.kibazo@afdb.org Show Less -

Two years into a fragile transition in southern Somalia, the World Bank Group (WBG) is helping to rebuild state institutions piece by piece. The WBG’s State and Peacebuilding Fund complements the RCRF... Show More + with intensive assistance to reforms in the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank under the current PFM Capacity Strengthening Project.“We’ve had a really thorough appraisal process to ensure that our funds can use the country systems and be accounted for,” said Bella Bird, the WBG’s country director for Somalia. “But this is not just about providing short-term emergency support for the budget. This brings us into a close dialogue with the authorities on how best to put in place the basic building blocks of macro-fiscal management and public financial management.”Using biometric identification, the RCRF now pays thousands of civil servants in the service of the new Somali state through the Central Bank. Through the project, a group of young civil servants from the office of the Accountant General went through an external selection process for the newly-formed External Aid Fiduciary Support (EAFS) department. Their task is to ensure good cooperation and coordination with donors like the WBG, and to ensure that the conditions of grant agreements are met.“We look forward to work with World Bank and other donors,” said EAFS Director Mohamud. “With the help of the colleagues who served under Special Financing Facility, I am sure we will do a good job.”The WBG has progressively developed a working relationship with the Somali government since 2012 and in December 2013; an Interim Strategy Note laid out a program of support building the foundations for poverty reduction and shared prosperity by strengthening core economic institutions and expanding economic opportunities. With progress in the security situation, WBG presence on the ground will increase and agreements are now being reached for WBG representation in the capital. But challenges still remain.Fragmented by two decades of conflict, the country has now started to discuss a new federation of states while also working to address deep-seated grievances, a process the UN head in Somalia calls “a breathtaking feat of political engineering.” Without committed reconciliation to rebuild trust between people, state building is not likely to be sustained in Somalia.The Multi-Partner Fund has received financing from the WBG’s State and Peacebuilding Fund, as well as from other development partners, including the United Kingdom, Sweden and the European Union. Discussions with other donors are ongoing.“This grant from the Multi-Partner Fund highlights our government’s commitment to fully finance its 2014 budget and the commitment of our international partners to increase use of our country systems in their support,” said Hussein Abdi Halane, Somalia’s minister of Finance. Show Less -

The SBF is part of the $29 million Somalia Private Sector Development Re-engagement Project (SOMPREP-II) financed by the World Bank State and Peacebuilding Fund, Danida and Department for Internationa... Show More +l Development. SOMPREP-II also supports banking, investment climate and regulatory reforms, as well as public- private partnerships for developing the Port of Berbera and a solid waste management initiative for Hargeisa. These initiatives are backed by continuous policy making and analytical work. Other projects supported by SOMPREP-II include:Managing Household Waste in HargeisaThe capital city of Hargeisa is home to nearly one million people who generate approximately 130, 000 tons of solid waste every year, much of it disposed in ad hoc and unhygienic ways. The SOMPREP-II provided support for the creation of a framework for private sector involvement, following the ratification of a policy and bylaws for solid waste management. The SBF provided support to one of the two private companies contracted to remove waste; their services now cover 30,000 households.While residents didn’t object to paying for water and electricity, paying for garbage disposal was a new concept to some. The project undertook an innovative communications campaign using billboards across the city, leaflets, radio, and television programs to address behaviors around waste disposal. Educating the public on safe waste disposal became a topic for school dramas, street plays, a workshop for Imams and religious leaders, and an SMS campaign for mobile phone subscribers. The public awareness campaign has now attracted the attention of other private sector companies who are applying for funds to join the waste disposal business to increase coverage to unserved parts of the city.Supporting the Fisheries SectorWith its long coastline and rich variety of fish including spiny lobsters, yellow fin tuna, swordfish and more, the fisheries sector has great potential to generate exports, employment and build coastal societies in Somalia. Although the World Bank has been involved in developing fishing and supply chains in Puntland since the 2004 tsunami, work in Somaliland under the SOMPREP-II project has been more recent. The project has led to the registrations of hundreds of fishermen and vessels, as well as the creation of a database which will also include fishing villages. Developing strong, legitimate, coastal businesses that help keep youth away from Somalia’s notorious seafaring gangs was also a key recommendation of a World Bank report on piracy in 2013.To create a wider enabling environment for the sector, the project supported the development of a policy for hygienic fish handling and has made recommendations for improving efficiencies within concerned government ministries that will provide a basis for future development partnerships. As in Puntland, the project will also fund a public awareness campaign on the benefits of eating fish in a society which traditionally prefers a meat-based diet and will target information to retailers on the safe handling, transportation and sale of fish. An evaluation of the project earlier in the year found over 180 (out of a target of 250 by end 2014) fishers were already benefitting from improved fishing techniques and several had received grants from the SBF to expand their businesses.Upgrading Berbera PortAn important gateway for both inland trade and exports, the port is a relatively small, traditional anchorage which is cannot serve the growing volume of goods passing through its berths. Export volumes for many products, including livestock, have more than doubled between 2008-2011 due to increased demand from Saudi Arabia and other countries.Following a comprehensive Strategic Economic Assessment of the Port based on stakeholder consultations, the World Bank helped the government leverage $6 million from UKAID in 2013 that will be used for technical support and procurement of two tugboats with the long-term aim of attracting private investment for large-scale infrastructure expansion and introduction of specialized terminals.“Operating on the ground in Somaliland has taught us a lot can be achieved in fragile environments with the right local partners and we are now planning to scale up the project to other parts of the country,” said Michael Engman, senior World Bank economist who heads the largest private sector development in Somalia.“Although we account for a modest part of the Bank’s $3 billion global support program for small and medium enterprises, the impact of this project goes a long way in demonstrating new ideas, approaches and providing wherewithal in some of Africa’s least developed and virgin markets.” Show Less -

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2014 - The World Bank Group committed a record-breaking *$15.3 billion to Sub Saharan Africa’s development in fiscal year 2014 (July 2013 to June 2014) supporting shared prosperity... Show More + in the Region and focusing on increased efforts to reduce poverty.“Africa is making significant progress and at the World Bank we are stepping up the momentum to innovate and think big in order to help our clients achieve their development goals. We applaud the improved policies and prudent fiscal decisions many governments have made and we will continue to provide financing through loans and grants, technical expertise and to mobilize our unique convening power to leverage the resources of other development partners,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region.The Bank Group continued its strong commitment to Africa delivering $10.6 billion in new lending for 160 projects this fiscal year (FY14). These commitments included a new record of $10.2 billion in zero-interest credits and grants from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries. This is the highest level of IDA delivery by any region in the World Bank’s history.Private Sector-Led Growth and Job CreationIFC's work in the private sector in Africa during FY14 focused on bridging the infrastructure gap, promoting a productive real sector and leading inclusive business approaches to help drive growth and job creation. IFC investments on the continent amounted to over $4.2 billion, with over $3 billion committed in IDA countries and almost $800 million in fragile and conflict-affected states. IFC spent $55 million on Advisory Services programs in the region, 96 percent of which was distributed to IDA countries.In FY 2014, MIGA issued guarantees of $515 million in support of projects in the oil and gas, power, services, and telecommunications sectors. The Agency also teamed up with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to establish a $350-million political risk facility that will support planned investments in sustainable agribusiness in up to 13 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The Bank Group worked collaboratively to tackle development challenges and focused on regional projects in sustainable energy, irrigation, water management, and food security, and also on job training programs for youth, preventing malaria and other tropical diseases, and on social protection for poor families across the region. Fragility and Emergency ActionIn FY14, the Bank Group focused its efforts to act quickly and effectively in emergency situations across Africa. In response to the crisis in Central African Republic, the Bank delivered emergency development funds of over US$70 million to help restore key government services and to support food distribution and health services.Major regional initiatives focused on the challenges of fragility and conflict. In November 2013, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim pledged $1.5 billion to boost economic growth and lift the people of Africa’s Sahel Region out of devastating poverty. Kim’s pledge came during an historic joint trip to the Sahel with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Boosting EnergySub-Saharan Africa is blessed with large hydropower resources that can create electricity, yet only 10% of its potential has been harnessed. Boosting access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy is a primary objective of the Bank’s work in Africa. During the fiscal year (FY14) projects focused on developing hydropower potential and providing new forms of sustainable power to increase energy production and benefit millions of Africans.In a major push, IBRD, IFC, and MIGA combined forces under a joint Energy Business Plan for Nigeria. The plan will support Nigeria’s energy reform program and help increase installed generation capacity by about 1,000 MW while mobilizing nearly $1.7 billion of private sector financing for Africa’s largest economy. Many projects benefit from IBRD, IFC, and MIGA working together across the World Bank Group to better leverage their development impact in the region.In FY14, the Bank also supported the 80-megawatt Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project in Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania, and provided a $100-million grant to Burundi for the Jiji-Mulembwe hydropower project. Both initiatives will increase electricity generation capacity benefitting millions of Africans.Improving Agricultural ProductivityThe Bank supports country-led efforts to improve agricultural productivity by linking farmers to markets and reducing risk and vulnerability; increase rural employment; and make agriculture more environmentally sustainable. Projects during FY14 included support for improving pastoralism through community development and livelihoods in Ethiopia, boosting agribusiness in Senegal, and pushing the envelope on landscape management, notably in the Sahel.Higher Education for DevelopmentHigher education plays a key role in promoting economic growth and development especially for Africa’s fastest growing youth population. As one of the largest financiers of higher education in the region, the World Bank is mobilizing its knowledge and leadership behind countries to champion education. The World Bank’s new $150-million Africa Higher-Education Centers of Excellence project is funding 19 university-based centers for advanced education in West and Central Africa. It will support regional specialization among participating universities in mathematics, science, engineering and ICT to address regional challenges.For more information about the World Bank Group's total support to developing countries in FY14 click here. *Preliminary and unaudited numbers as of July 7 Show Less -

GENEVA / NEW YORK, 6 May 2014 – New United Nations* data show a 45% reduction in maternal deaths since 1990. An estimated 289 000 women died in 2013 due to complications in pregnancy and childbir... Show More +th, down from 523 000 in 1990.Another World Health Organization (WHO) study, also published today in The Lancet Global Health, adds new knowledge about why these women are dying. Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis, finds that more than 1 in 4 maternal deaths are caused by pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV, malaria and obesity, whose health impacts can all be aggravated by pregnancy. This is similar to the proportion of deaths during pregnancy and childbirth from severe bleeding.“Together, the two reports highlight the need to invest in proven solutions, such as quality care for all women during pregnancy and childbirth, and particular care for pregnant women with existing medical conditions,” says Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General, Family, Women’s and Children’s Health, WHO.They also underscore the importance of having accurate data."Thirty-three maternal deaths per hour is 33 too many," said Tim Evans, Director, Health, Nutrition and Population, World Bank Group. "We need to document every one of these tragic events, determine their cause, and initiate corrective actions urgently."Steady progressTrends in maternal mortality estimates 1990 to 2013 includes new data which were not captured in the last set of global estimates in 2012, as well as improved methods of estimating births and all female deaths.Eleven countries that had high levels of maternal mortality in 1990 (Bhutan, Cambodia, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Romania, Rwanda, Timor-Leste) have already reached the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of a 75% reduction in maternal mortality from the 1990 rate by 2015. Based on these latest trends however, many low- and middle-income countries will not achieve this goal.Sub-Saharan Africa is still the riskiest region in the world for dying of complications in pregnancy and childbirth.“A 15-year-old girl living in sub-Saharan Africa faces about a 1 in 40 risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth during her lifetime,” says Dr Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “A girl of the same age living in Europe has a lifetime risk of 1 in 3300 – underscoring how uneven progress has been around the world.”Despite advances in the last 20 years, there has been too little progress in preventing adolescent pregnancies, abortions, maternal deaths, sexually-transmitted infections and HIV, and there are significant gaps in availability, quality and access to comprehensive sexuality education and services for young people, especially in low-income countries.“More than 15 million girls aged 15 to 19 years give birth every year – one in five girls before they turn 18 – and many of these pregnancies result from non-consensual sex,” highlights Ms Kate Gilmore, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). “Relatively simple and well-known interventions, like midwifery services and gender-based violence prevention and response, can make a huge difference if scaled up and coupled with investments in innovations, especially in the area of contraceptives.”New information on causes of deathA related WHO study of causes of more than 60 000 maternal deaths in 115 countries shows that pre-existing medical conditions exacerbated by pregnancy (such as diabetes, malaria, HIV, obesity) caused 28% of the deaths.Other causes included:severe bleeding (mostly during and after childbirth) 27%pregnancy-induced high blood pressure 14%infections 11%obstructed labour and other direct causes 9%abortion complications 8%blood clots (embolism) 3%Strong health systems – with facilities that have adequate health workers and equipment and medicines – are key to delivering quality health care to save the lives of women and their newborn babies.“The new data show a changing profile in the conditions that cause maternal deaths; reflecting the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases in women throughout the world. Ending preventable maternal deaths will require both continued efforts to reduce complications directly related to pregnancy, and more of a focus on noncommunicable diseases and their effect in pregnancy. Integrated care for women with conditions like diabetes and obesity will reduce deaths and prevent long-lasting health problems,” says Dr Marleen Temmerman, Director, Reproductive Health and Research, WHO, and co-author of the study.Better data needed to save livesA major challenge in addressing maternal deaths is the lack of accurate data. Although knowledge on the number of women dying and the reasons behind their deaths is improving, much remains unrecorded and unreported. In many low-income countries, maternal deaths go uncounted and frequently the cause of death is unknown or not recorded correctly, particularly when women die at home. This is consistent with general global trends: only one-third of all deaths worldwide are recorded and fewer than 100 countries record the cause of death using WHO’s International Classification of Disease.As a result, it is often hard for national health programmes to allocate resources where they are needed most. This is why the United Nations Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health is calling for better measurement of maternal and child deaths. The Commission requires that “by 2015, all countries have taken significant steps to establish a system for registration of births, deaths and causes of death”.There is growing consensus worldwide that ending preventable maternal deaths can be achieved by ensuring that every woman has access to quality health care. Global and national targets beyond 2015 will be important for tracking progress in reducing maternal deaths and ensuring that maternal health continues to be a global development priority.Highlights from Trends in maternal mortality estimates 1990 to 2013:Maternal mortality has declined: In 2013, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 210 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, down from 380 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 1990 (a 45% reduction).Faster progress needed: The global reduction of MMR has accelerated, with a 3.5% annual decline from 2000-2013, as compared with 1.4% between 1990 and 2000. However, at current trends, most countries will not achieve the MDG target of a 75% reduction in MMR from 1990 to 2015. An average decline of 5.5% or more every year since 1990 is needed to meet the target on time.Ten countries carry most of the burden: Ten countries account for about 60% of global maternal deaths: India (50 000), Nigeria (40 000), Democratic Republic of the Congo (21 000), Ethiopia (13 000), Indonesia (8800), Pakistan (7900), United Republic of Tanzania (7900), Kenya (6300), China (5900) and Uganda (5900).Somalia and Chad have the highest risk: The highest lifetime risk of maternal death is in Somalia and Chad where women face a 1 in 18 and 1 in 15 lifetime risk respectively.About the maternal mortality estimates* Trends in maternal mortality estimates 1990 to 2013 is published by the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) which includes the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Population Division (UNPD) and the World Bank Group. The estimation process was done in collaboration with an academic team from the National University of Singapore, Singapore and University of California, Berkeley, United States of America.On 2 May, The Lancet published Global, regional, and national levels and causes of maternal mortality, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. WHO and its partners welcome these efforts to confirm the quality of UN interagency monitoring for Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Show Less -

HARGEISA, January 29, 2014: Since its self-declaration of independence in 1991, Somaliland has – against many odds – established a system of democratic governance and embarked upon an ambitious develo... Show More +pment agenda including development of a National Development Plan (NDP 2012-16). To help strengthen planning and budgeting processes, and improve the allocation of scarce resources, the World Bank has undertaken several pieces of analytical work to help provide the first GDP and poverty estimates for Somaliland. These will be discussed at the Somaliland Economic Conference on Growth & Unemployment, Poverty & Inflation and Budget Policy hosted by the Ministry for National Planning and Development and the World Bank in Hargeisa on 29 January, 2014.KEY FINDINGS1. GDP and UnemploymentBased on initial GDP analysis -to be updated as data improves and further data becomes available- Somaliland’s GDP for 2012 is estimated to have been $1.4 billion (current US$ prices)[1], with GDP per capita estimated at $347. This would be the fourth lowest in the world, ahead of Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.Almost 30% of GDP is derived from the livestock industry followed by 20% from wholesale and retail trade (including the informal sector); 8% from crops and 6% from real estate activities. In 2012, Somaliland’s trade deficit was approximately $496 million, which was financed through a combination of remittances and external aid. Somaliland has very low levels of investment, ranked approximately 180th in the World for gross fixed capital formation as a percentage of GDP. Furthermore, Somaliland has very low employment-to-population ratios, with 28% for males and 17% for females (15-24 year olds in Borama, Hargeisa and Burao[2]).2. Poverty[3] & WellbeingInitial estimates suggest that poverty in urban areas of Somaliland is 29%, similar to Ethiopia (26%) but that rural poverty at 38% in Somaliland is higher. Although urban households are better off, inequality is high and similar to levels recorded in the 2005 household survey in Kenya. Access to health services in urban areas compares well to other countries in the region, but in rural areas most births are at home without a skilled attendant. Mothers are more likely to die giving birth, and babies more likely to die before their first birthday, in Somaliland than in neighboring Ethiopia or Djibouti. Only about half of 6-13 years olds go to primary school in Somaliland, in stark contrast to 87% in neighboring Ethiopia[4]. As current school enrollment is much lower in Somaliland than in all countries in the region, Somaliland could well have poor comparative literacy rates in the future.3. Budget PolicyTax revenue as a percentage of GDP in Somaliland (approximately 7% in 2012) is less than half the sub-saharan African average. Historical low levels of domestic revenue have only been able to sustain core Government functions and maintain peace and stability. The lack of investment in social services, has taken a toll on human development. The Somaliland authorities have taken recent, commendable, strides in strengthening budgeting and planning and enhancing revenue, and the Budget Policy Committee now ring-fences 10-13% of the growing budget for investment activities. Establishment of the Somaliland Development Fund (SDF) has also enabled Government to exercise greater control over external resources.However, reform of key sectors is needed to sustain revenue generation and create a more competitive economy. The absence of a conventional financial system is significantly hindering access to finance which is the number 1 constraint on private sector activity in Somaliland. Improving public service delivery is vital through revising decentralization policies, civil service reform and implementing the Public Financial Management (PFM) Reform Strategy 2013-2017. The influence of the private sector must not prevent the Government harnessing revenues by adopting a tax strategy with a focus on consistent and moderate taxation of large corporations, to help bring the Somaliland tax to GDP ratio more in line with regional averages.[1] GDP based on a 4 million population estimate, if a population estimate of 3.5 million is used instead the total GDP and per capita figures would be about 5% lower.[2] ILO Labour Force Survey 2012[3] Findings based on the Somaliland Household Survey 2013 – a representative urban sample, and a fairly representative sample of settled rural households. [4] Somaliland MICS Preliminary Results 2011 and WDI Show Less -

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are on track to help relieve 39 countries of approximately US$114 billion in debt through two programs designed to help poor nations free up resour... Show More +ces for domestic poverty-alleviation, according to an annual report released this month. These initiatives, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (the MDRI), have delivered an estimated $96 billion in debt relief, and have arranged for creditors to commit to the remainder.To date, 35 countries – 30 of them in Africa – have received the full amount of debt-relief for which they are eligible through HIPC and MDRI. Chad is a current participant and is expected to graduate from the initiative by the end of 2014. Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan are potentially eligible for debt relief, and Somalia and Sudan are actively working to qualify. Show Less -

Somalia has been in conflict for over
twenty years during which time it has not had a legally
recognized government. Somalia's economy and population
of around nine... Show More + to ten millio Show Less -

Ransoms Total Over US$339 Million, Says new researchWashington, November 1 — Between US$339 million and US$413 million was taken in ransom from the hijacking of ships off the coast of Somalia an... Show More +d the Horn of Africa between 2005 and 2012, according to a report released today. The study – carried out by the World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL – reveals that much of the ransom money was used to fuel a wide range of criminal activities on a global scale.“Pirate Trails” – using data and evidence from interviews with former pirates, government officials, bankers and others involved in countering piracy – investigates the flow of ransom money paid out to Somali pirates operating in the Indian Ocean. The study examines the reach of the pirates into the stimulant “khat” trade, human trafficking and other illegal activities that hinder development.Tracing a pattern that it calls “the pirate money model,” the study analyzes the investments made by a sample of 59 pirate “financiers” to reveal the range of sectors – including both legitimate businesses and criminal ventures – that were funded by the ransom money. Emphasizing the prominent position of pirate financiers, the report estimates that between 30 percent and 75 percent of the ransom money ends up with these financiers. The pirate “footsoldiers” aboard the ships receive just a fraction of the proceeds, amounting to between 1% and 2.5% of the total. Stuart Yikona, a World Bank Senior Financial Sector Specialist and the report’s co-author, says that its findings highlight the dangers posed not only by the hijackings themselves but also from the proceeds of the criminal acts: “Unchallenged piracy is not only a menace to stability and security, but it also has the power to corrupt the regional and international economy.”Piracy costs the global economy about US$18 billion a year in increased trade costs. Because the outbreak of piracy has reduced maritime activity around the Horn of Africa, East African countries since 2006 have suffered a significant decline in tourist arrivals and fishing yields. International remittances – a lifeline for the poor – have been affected by the decision of some banks to cease their operations with money remitters working with Somalia, which some financial institutions associate with risks involving the funding of terrorist activities.“Pirate Trails” assesses how the ransom proceeds are moved, invested and used. The report calls for coordinated international action to address the issue, and it sets out how the flow of illicit money from the Indian Ocean can be disrupted.Among the report’s findings, “Pirate Trails” shows that ransom money was:Invested in criminal activities, such as arms trafficking, funding militias, migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and was used to further finance piracy activities.Laundered through the khat trade, particularly in Kenya, where it is not monitored and therefore is the most vulnerable to illicit international flows of money.“Pirate Trails” also illustrates the effect of the hijackings on the local Somali economy in terms of the employment of footsoldiers and the purchase of goods to sustain the piracy operations.A coordinated effort by international financial authorities is needed to address the threat, says Yikona: “The international community has mobilized a naval force to deal with the pirates. A similarly managed multinational effort is needed to disrupt and halt the flow of illicit money that circulates in the wake of their activities.”That assertion is echoed by Tofik Murshudlu, Chief of the Implementation Support Section in the Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking Branch at UNODC, who notes that, while the international community may be winning the battle against pirate footsoldiers at sea, it should be wary not to lose the war against criminal kingpins on land. “The vast amounts of money collected by pirates, and the fact that they have faced virtually no constraint in moving and using their assets have allowed them not only to thrive, but also to develop their capacities on land,” says Murshudlu. “These criminal groups and their assets will continue to pose a threat to the stability and security of the Horn of Africa unless long-term structural solutions are implemented to impede their current freedom of movement.”“Pirate Trails” calls for a range of practical measures, including strengthening the capacity of countries in the Horn of Africa to deal with illegal cross-border cash smuggling; risk-based oversight of Money Value Transfer Service Providers; and the development of mechanisms to monitor international financial flows into the khat trade.“Pirate Trails” focuses on Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles, and Somalia. Its authors also carried out research in London, Copenhagen and Washington. About the World Bank GroupThe World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and development expertise for developing countries. It comprises five closely associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Each institution plays a distinct role in pursuing the World Bank Group’s mission to fight poverty and improve living standards for people in the developing world. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org, www.miga.org and www.ifc.org.About UNODCThe United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global leader in the struggle against illicit drugs and transnational organized crime. It is committed to achieving health, security and justice for all by tackling such global threats, and by delivering legal and technical assistance to prevent terrorism. UNODC fulfills a three-fold mission: Research and analysis to produce authoritative reports and crop surveys; Technical assistance to States in ratifying and implementing international treaties on drugs, crime and terrorism, and developing domestic legislation consistent with these treaties; and Training judicial officials. For more information, please visit www.unodc.org.About INTERPOLThe International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries. Its role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. INTERPOL’s high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century. It constantly provides and promotes innovative and cutting-edge solutions to global challenges in policing and security. INTERPOL facilitates the widest possible mutual assistance among all criminal law enforcement authorities; enables global access to police data and information; and provides operational support on specific priority crime areas. For more information, please visit www.interpol.int. Show Less -

Nairobi, October 09, 2013—The eastern coast of Somalia is arguably one of the most challenging places in the world: coastal villages are inaccessible by road, so few services and facilities reach poor... Show More + families, and lawlessness and piracy make trade and aid nearly impossible.But, a World Bank project, funded by the Japan Development Fund in 2004, has helped increase incomes by training fishing families along this coast in new fishing techniques, creating better storage facilities that allow them to market their catch beyond their local communities.“When the tsunami struck the Indian Ocean in 2004, fishing communities off the coast of Puntland lost even the meager incomes they had,” said Abderrahim Fraiji, a senior operations officer in the World Bank’s Post-Conflict & Social Development in the Africa Region and the project’s task team leader.The Bank piloted the US$1.6 million Tsunami Livelihood Recovery project in three villages benefitting some 1000 families. Fisher men and women were trained in safety and fish handling at sea, proper use of ice boxes in their boats, net and boat repair and maintenance of motors. The project provided processing and cold storage facilities for receiving and marketing fish in the villages, and refrigerated trucks to carry the catch to the nearest town of Bossaso and the state capital, Garowe.“We wanted to demonstrate that with the right knowledge, equipment and government support, both the government and the poor communities could turn fishing into a profitable business,” said Fraiji. “The country has over 3000 kilometers of coastline, the longest in Africa, and its most untapped resource.”Despite challenges to implementing the project—including cultural rivalries among villages and difficulty generating electricity and fuel for refrigeration—the project has shown impressive results. Incomes for villagers, for instance, have increased by 20-30%.“Previously, fishers had no option but to sell their catch at very low prices out at sea to Yemeni traders,” said Jorge Torrens, Fisheries Officer at the FAO in Somalia which implemented the project. “With refrigeration, they can now conserve their catch, reach markets inland and are in a better position to bargain with traders.”To help put the fishing business on a sustainable path to growth, the project also provided technical support. Each village now has a fisherman’s association and a public-private partnership has been established with the government and local fishers to better manage storage, receiving and marketing facilities.The project also helped build government capacity to put the fishing industry on a more professional and modern footing by helping to develop fishery extension services. Extension workers now visit local communities to promote good fishing and marketing practices.There’s also an ID pilot system for fishers in pirate-infested waters which is now being expanded for the registration of all fishermen in the Puntland coast, according to Fraiji.In a country with some of the severest levels of malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, the government has also launched an education program to promote fish eating as meat prices rise.The Tsunami Livelihood Recovery project closes this month, but the public –private partnerships that have been created will ensure the sustainability of the fishers’ livelihoods as new markets and roads continue to improve access to new markets inland. Show Less -

Civil war erupted in Somalia following
the fall of the autocratic regime of Siad Barre in 1991.
Peace was established to varying degrees in the different
regions of... Show More + Somalia. The civil war first abated in the
Northwest (1994), and subsequently in the Northeast (1998).
Lastly, and less so, in the central and southern parts, with
limited and sporadic hostilities still occurring in
Mogadishu. The past year has seen a worsening of the peace
and security situation in the Northwest specifically, and
across the country. The study is based on 31 interviews with
most major companies representing each of the significant
industrial sectors in the country, based in Northwest
Somalia (e.g. Daallo, Dahabshiil, STG), Northeast Somalia
(Amal, Somtel), and south Somalia and Mogadishu (Damal,
Jubba, Towfiiq), as well as businessmen based in Dubai and
Nairobi. In addition to entrepreneurs, the study has
benefited from discussion and advice from Somali lawyers,
the Chairmen of all major Somali industry associations, the
Chairman of the Somali business council, locally active
Non-Government Organisation (NGOs), and International
Financial Institutions (IFIs) including United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), and European Commission (EC).
In certain sections, the study focuses on the experience of
a particular region; however, most findings and conclusions
can be extended to the entire country. Show Less -

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2013 - The World Bank Group committed a record US$14.7 billion in fiscal year 2013 (July 2012 to June 2013) to support economic growth and better development prospects in Africa d... Show More +espite uncertain economic conditions in the rest of the global economy.“The region has shown remarkable resilience in the face of a global recession and continues to grow strongly,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. “Africa is at the center of the World Bank Group 2030 goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity, in an environmentally, socially, and fiscally sustainable manner.”The World Bank Group continued its strong commitment to Africa approving $8.25 billion in new lendng for nearly 100 projects this fiscal year (FY13). These commitments include a record $8.2 billion in zero-interest credits and grants from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries. This is the highest level of new IDA commitments by any region in the Bank’s history. Private sector leverages development investment IFC’s total commitment volume in Sub-Saharan Africa, including mobilization, grew to a record $5.3 billion, 34 percent more than the year before. Similarly, IFC’s spending on Advisory Services programs in the region increased to more than $65 million, about 30 percent of IFC’s total. This led to increased results in fragile and conflict states and greater impact in IFC’s primary areas of focus: sustainable farming opportunities, access to finance for microfinance clients and individuals, improved infrastructure services, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.﻿Supporting developmentally beneficial foreign direct investment into Sub-Saharan Africa is a priority for MIGA. In 2013, the Agency issued $1.5 billion in guarantees supporting investments into projects in the agribusiness, oil and gas, power, services, and water sectors. A significant volume of this coverage is for investments in power generation projects in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, and Kenya. Sub-Saharan African accounted for 54 percent of MIGA’s new volume this year -- more than doubling last year’s level of 24 percent.The Bank Group’s support focused on major transformational projects in agriculture and power, and also on social safety nets, conditional cash transfers for poor families, job creation programs for young people, and higher education. Stepping Up the Game in Fragile CountriesIn FY13, the World Bank Group increased its focus in Africa on regional drivers of fragility and conflict, especially regarding the Sahel and the Great Lakes regions. In May 2013, during an historic joint United Nations/World Bank Group mission to the Great Lakes, the Bank announced a $1 billion development pledge to help countries in the region provide better health and education services, generate more cross-border trade, and fund hydroelectricity projects in support of the Great Lakes peace agreement. Sending the strong message that peace and development are inseparable and must be addressed together and also emphasizing the Bank’s commitment to increase its work in states emerging from conflict and its determination to help lift fragile states out of fragility and back on a positive development track. Addressing Climate ChangeThe Bank has been at the forefront of identifying operational measures and partnerships (such as TerrAfrica) to integrate climate change in land management, water resource management, transport infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and disaster risk management and continues to advance innovative policy solutions, including through the first climate change Development Policy Loan, for Mozambique.Climate change is also at the center of the growth agenda of the Region. Clean energy projects -- in hydro, geothermal, solar, and gas -- are part of the Bank’s Africa strategy to limit the carbon footprint of growth in the region and harvest enormous untapped potential for development. Many of these current and planned projects benefit from IDA, MIGA, and IFC working together across the World Bank Group to better leverage their development investments in the region. Accelerating the Use of Science and TechnologyAfrica’s future depends on adapting existing and future technology more rapidly. Large productivity gains are possible through better training of Africans in science and technology, and enhanced agricultural technology. During FY13 the Bank helped to bring higher education, with an emphasis on science, back into the development agenda. African economies urgently need highly skilled technicians and engineers, especially for energy and infrastructure. They need agricultural scientists; medical workers; and researchers. Quality learning outcomes in primary and secondary education require qualified teachers that only universities can develop. The Bank continued to build partnerships to support technological education. For more information about the World Bank Group's total support to developing countries in FY13 click here. Show Less -

NAIROBI, June 26, 2013 - The latest World Bank review of policies and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa shows an overall stable environment for growth and poverty reduction despite divergence across ... Show More +countries. The review is part of the annual World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) that rates the performance of poor countries. Since 1980, CPIA ratings have been used to determine countries’ allocation of zero-interest financing under the International Development Association,* the World Bank Group’s fund for the world’s poorest countries.The scores of 11 countries rose by 0.1 points or more, reflecting a strengthened policy agenda, and the indexes of another 12 countries declined by at least 0.1 points. Cape Verde and Kenya had the highest scores, although Cape Verde saw a decline in its CPIA for the third year in a row. South Sudan and Eritrea—both countries that suffer deep policy challenges—had the lowest scores. Countries recovering from conflict—such as Cote d’Ivoire and Comoros—have shown solid improvement. On the contrary, conflict and political instability have weakened policies and institutions.The CPIA examines 16 key development indicators covering four areas: (i) economic management, (ii) structural reforms; (iii) policies for social inclusion and equity; and (iv) public sector management and institutions. Countries are rated on a scale of 1 (low) to 6 (high) for each indicator. The overall CPIA score reflects the average of the 16 indicators.“African countries with better policies tend to have higher economic growth,” says Punam Chuhan-Pole, Acting Chief Economist, World Bank, Africa Region and main author of the report. “But a redoubling of effort is needed to translate this growth into broad welfare gains.” There is variation between the CPIA scores of different country groupings. For example, poor governance, weak public sector capacity, and civil conflict have reduced the average scores for African fragile states to 2.7—well below the 3.5 average score for non-fragile countries. Similarly, the region’s resource-rich countries, which have an average CPIA score of 3.0, continue to lag its non-resource counterparts, which averaged 3.2 for 2012. “Conflict and instability can greatly affect the policy gains of non-fragile states as well,” added Chuhan-Pole. “For example, Madagascar has seen its scores slip in the last two years following a political crisis, and the same has happened in Mali as a result of conflict and political instability.”As was the case last year, scores are higher in the area of economic management across countries. This pattern reflects the consensus among African policy makers that macroeconomic stability can facilitate the emergence of a productive private sector. It also reflects the fact that managing macroeconomic policy is not as politically-charged as changing institutions (such as the judicial system).The upward trend of scores assessing social reforms shows that they are taking hold in Sub-Saharan Africa. Governance scores, which cover the quality of public sector management and institutions of accountability, continue to lag all other areas assessed by the CPIA, reflecting the deep-rooted challenges facing African countries in this important area. * The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing zero-interest credits, and grants, for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 81 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 108 countries. Annual commitments have increased steadily and averaged about $15 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent of commitments going to Africa. Show Less -

Re-engaging in Mali and SomaliaAfter the March 2012 coup d’etat in Mali, the Center brought together staff working in the Sahel countries (Mali, Mauritania, Chad, Niger and Senegal) to talk about the ... Show More +regional drivers of conflict in Mali and throughout the region, and how to “work differently” to increase development effectiveness. Ousmane Diagana, the Bank’s Country Director for Mali, says the Bank anticipates bringing wider-ranging and more effective assistance as it re-engages with the country."Following the liberation of almost all the big cities in North Mali, we are seeing the possibility to expand geographical coverage of our program, to make it more responsive to the local needs and to deliver bigger and faster,” says Diagana. “This requires use of innovative instruments to support the government modeling, to re-establish relationships and the functioning of public services country wide with special attention to the north."The Bank is also returning to Somalia after scaling back amid political uncertainty.“We had to move quickly when we had new opportunities to engage,” says Bella Bird, Country Director for Somalia. “One of the most urgent things in Somalia is to create a public financial management framework and allow the Somali government to gain access to other donor funds while they gradually gain control of their own sources of revenue.”Accelerating ProgressThe goal throughout fragile areas is to build on and accelerate progress. From 2000 to 2012, IDA financing helped 550,000 former soldiers reintegrate into society. Many found work through projects that funded 17 million person-days of employment to restore or provide new access to water, roads and other infrastructure. Some 2 million classrooms were built with IDA funding.In Burundi, a pioneering pay-for-performance health program backed by IDA provides free health care to mothers and young children. Recent changes incentivized health clinics to reach out to underserved communities; the result has been a 25 percent increase in births attended by skilled professionals at health clinics, and a 10.2 percent increase in the number of children fully vaccinated. In Burundi, Myanmar and Nepal, the World Bank Group plans to boost employment and private sector development by bringing together the full range of services of three agencies: IDA; IFC, the private investment arm; and MIGA, which provides political risk insurance to investors.In Myanmar, it’s adding 120 megawatts of electricity—enough power for an additional 5 million people—to further develop the sector, transform lives and the economy in a country where currently only one in four has access to electricity. IFC is considering investments that would bring total development of additional electric power capacity to 300 megawatts.Axel van Trotsenburg, the Bank’s Vice President for East Asia and Pacific region, said in a recent blog that dramatic political and economic changes are sweeping Myanmar. “There is a sense of hope, and expectations are growing that people’s lives will soon improve.”Fragile States Speak Up Through the g7+And, fragile countries across the globe are speaking up about how aid can be used more effectively to speed progress elsewhere, as part of a new group –the g7+ – formed in 2011 to develop a new paradigm – the New Deal – to improve the impact of assistance in fragile countries. “g7+ countries are getting together themselves and talking about their own experiences, what they learned, and how they can learn from each other about exiting fragility,” says Kyle Peters, the Bank’s Vice President of Operations Policy and Country Services. “We fully support this effort because it’s critical for them to learn from each other and to develop solutions from their own experience.” Show Less -

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2013 – Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is likely to reach more than 5 percent on average in 2013-2015 as a result of high commodity prices worldwide and strong consume... Show More +r spending on the continent, ensuring that the region remains amongst the fastest growing in the world -- according to the World Bank’s latest Africa’s Pulse, a twice-yearly analysis of the issues shaping Africa’s economic prospects. In 2012, about a quarter of African countries grew at 7 percent or higher and a number of African countries, notably Sierra Leone, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Rwanda, are among the fastest growing in the world. The new World Bank report forecasts that medium-term growth prospects remain strong and will be supported by a gradually improving world economy, consistently high commodity prices, and more investment in regional infrastructure, trade, and business growth. Welcoming the new assessment that Africa continues to grow faster than the global average, the World Bank’s Vice President called on the need for faster progress in areas such as electricity and food in the vulnerable areas of The Sahel and the Horn of Africa, and that significantly more energy and agricultural productivity were needed to raise the quality of life for Africans throughout the continent and reduce poverty significantly. “African countries will need to bring more electricity, nutritious food, jobs and opportunity to families and communities across the continent in order to better their lives, end extreme poverty, and promote shared prosperity,” said the World Bank’s Africa Vice President Makhtar Diop. “Without more electricity and higher agricultural productivity, Africa’s development future cannot prosper. The good news is that governments in Africa are intent on changing this.”Diop also urged African governments and their development partners to upgrade the continent’s statistical capacity so that citizens could better measure and monitor their development progress and analyze the reasons for its success and failure, especially in resource-rich countries and fragile states, where data gathering and analysis remained weak. New mineral discoveries drive growthAfrica’s Pulse says that recent discoveries of oil, natural gas, copper, and other strategic minerals, and the expansion of several mines or the building of new ones in Mozambique, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Zambia, together with better political and economic governance, were sustaining solid economic growth across the continent. Looking forward, it is expected that by 2020, only four or five countries in the region will not be involved in mineral exploitation of some kind, such is Africa’s abundance of natural resources.The World Bank says that given the considerable amounts of new mineral revenues coming on stream across the region, resource-rich African countries will consciously need to invest these new earnings in better health, education, and jobs, and less poverty for their people in order to maximize their national development prospects. Consumer spending and private investment upConsumer spending, which accounts for more than 60 percent of Africa’s GDP, remained strong in 2012. This trend was driven by declining inflation, which fell from 9.5 percent in January 2012 to 7.6 percent in December 2012; improved access to credit, for example in Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia; lower interest rates--for every interest rate hike there were three cuts; and a rebound in agricultural incomes, thanks to more favorable weather conditions in countries such as Guinea, Mauritania and Niger, which all experienced better rains compared with the 2010/2011 crop year; and the steady remittance inflows, which are estimated at $31 billion in 2012 and 2011. Increased investment flows are supporting the region’s growth performance. In 2012, for example, net private capital flows to the region increased by 3.3 percent to a record $54.5 billion; and foreign direct investment inflows to the region increased by 5.5 percent in 2012 to $37.7 billion.Africa’s Pulse notes that exports are also driving the continent’s growth and that the traditional destination of these goods over the last decade is changing as well. Since 2000, the overall growth of Sub-Saharan exports to emerging markets, including those of China, Brazil and India, and to countries in the region has surpassed that to developed markets. Total exports to Brazil, India and China were larger than to the EU market in 2011.Africa’s impressive growth has not reduced poverty enoughAfter more than a decade of strong economic growth, the World Bank says that Africa has been able to cut poverty on the continent, but not by enough.“While the broad picture emerging from the data is that Africa’s economies have been expanding robustly and that poverty is coming down, the aggregate hides a great deal of diversity in performance, even among Africa’s faster growers,” says Shanta Devarajan, the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa, and lead author of the new report.Devarajan adds that during the second half of the 2000s, Ethiopia and Rwanda saw their economies expand at 8-10 percent (or between 5 and 8 percent per capita), which resulted in a 1.3 to 1.7 percentage point yearly fall in their national poverty rates. In contrast, poverty reduction in some other countries has lagged far behind growth.Future offers prospects of more growth, much less poverty, and shared prosperity Africa’s Pulse suggests that a number of emerging trends on the continent could help to transform its current state of development over the coming years. These include the promise of large revenues from mineral exploitation, rising incomes created by a dramatic expansion of agricultural productivity, the large-scale migration of people from the countryside into Africa’s towns and cities, and a demographic dividend potentially created by Africa’s fast-growing population of young people. “If properly harnessed to unleash their full potential, these trends hold the promise of more growth, much less poverty, and accelerating shared prosperity for African countries in the foreseeable future,” says Punam Chuhan-Pole, a co-author of the Africa’s Pulse and a Lead Economist in the World Bank’s Africa region. Show Less -

MOGADISHU, April 11, 2013– The global fight against piracy in Somalia has centered on prosecuting pirates and mobilizing naval forces. But to get to the root cause of the problem, the international co... Show More +mmunity must focus on helping the nation build a functional political system, according to a new World Bank study.“Piracy is a symptom of the breakdown of Somalia’s political system,” says Quy-Toan Do, a senior economist in the Bank’s research department and lead author of the report, The Pirates of Somalia: Ending the Threat, Rebuilding a Nation. “Go after the system, not just the pirates.”Three elements – political capital, manpower and financial resources – form the foundation of the hijack-for-ransom phenomenon in Somalia, where a history of inter- and intra-clan competition and European colonization has left many areas without functioning institutions, according to the study. That has allowed pirates to recruit local youth, buy guns and speedboats, and most importantly, secure coastal areas where they can anchor hijacked vessels for months or years.Pirates in the East African nation favor places such as Puntland and Central Somalia, which provide enough political stability to do business in, but not enough state control to challenge piracy operations. They then use bribes and physical threats to tilt the balance of power between politicians and gain long-term access to the coasts.The cost of that political operation takes up as much as 86% of the piracy proceeds, according to the study. A large sum – sometimes $300,000 per vessel – goes to government officials, businessmen, clans, militia and religious leaders as bribes and “development fees” to make sure the politicians won’t interfere in the piracy business. Crewmembers, often hired from a particular clan or location, command significantly higher salaries than local wages. Pirates also pay more than locals do for meal services, energy, and water. Given the local custom of resource sharing, piracy proceeds trickle down to local residents and other stakeholders, creating a favorable political environment in which the pirates can operate.Their success has global consequences. Between 2005 and 2012, more than 3,740 crewmembers from 125 countries fell prey to Somali pirates, and as many as 97 died. On the Somali side, the number of pirates lost at sea is believed to be in the hundreds. The ransom extracted during that period rose to as much as $385 million. Piracy also hurts trade, as shippers are forced to alter trading routes and pay more for fuel and insurance premiums, costing the world economy $18 billion a year, the study estimates. Since 2006, tourism and fish catches, as well as other outputs from coastal commerce, have declined in neighboring countries in East Africa.Somalia’s economy is not spared either: piracy-related trade costs are at $6 million a year, without taking into account the fact that potential sea-based economic activities are constrained by piracy. The collaboration between pirates and Islamist insurgent groups also has raised concerns about Somalia’s political stability.The international community has mostly focused on offshore measures to fight piracy, such as increasing naval pressure and onboard security, which have helped reduce the number of hijacks. But ending piracy would call for those costly measures to be expanded and made permanent, which wouldn’t be sustainable in the long run. Efforts that target onshore prevention, such as paying youth more to discourage them from joining the pirates, would only prompt owners to pay crew members more. Given the poverty rates among the population from which the pirates are typically recruited, owners can afford to pay pirates more without significantly hurting profit.To end piracy off the Horn of Africa, the study urges a paradigm shift away from perpetrators and toward the enablers of piracy. With a limited number of suitable coastal areas available to anchor hijacked ships, piracy would be less profitable if Somalia removes access to safe anchorage points or significantly raises the price for coastal access. In addition, the central government can offer incentives – along with built-in monitoring mechanisms – to encourage local stakeholders to stop pirate activity and learn from the success and failure of Afghanistan’s policies targeting opium poppy production and Colombia’s against coca production.At the heart of this policy agenda lies the need to better understand the political economy of resource sharing, so that winners and losers are properly identified and compensated. The lessons from the study go beyond piracy eradication and speak to the fundamental issue of state building in Somalia. Show Less -

MOGADISHU, April 11, 2013 – Although piracy episodes off the Horn of Africa have fallen in the last 12 months, a new World Bank analysis of its human and economic costs says that “Somalia cannot ‘buy’... Show More + its way out of piracy; nor can the international community rely solely on its law enforcement agencies to defeat pirates whether at sea or land.”Launched in Mogadishu with the support of the Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the new report—The Pirates of Somalia: Ending the Threat; Rebuilding a Nation— suggests that a sustained solution to ending piracy will only come with the recreation of a viable Somali state that can deliver essential services throughout the entire country to reduce poverty and create opportunity. It will also need to recognize the complexity and volatility of local politics in shaping how to deliver better health, education, nutrition, and other services to Somalis, especially those living in areas where piracy flourishes.“As this report shows, the solution to Somali piracy is first and foremost political,” write Makhtar Diop, the World Bank Group’s Vice President for Africa, and Kaushik Basu, the World Bank Group’s Chief Economist, in a Foreword to the new report. “This report affirms that beyond its firepower and financial resources, the international community can and should assist Somalia with generating knowledge—knowledge of how local power dynamics shape the rules for sharing resources, how they drive clan, and sub-clan relationships, and ultimately how they determine national political stability—to find solutions to the piracy problem.”Piracy costs are significantIn one of the most detailed assessments of the international and regional costs of Somali piracy, the World Bank says that, because of its scale, geographic scope, and violence that have created considerable public anxiety throughout the world, piracy costs the global economy roughly US$18 billion a year in increased trade costs— an amount that dwarfs the estimated US$53 million average annual ransom paid since 2005.Not only has piracy imposed a hidden tax on world trade generally, it has severely affected the economic activities of neighboring countries. Since 2006 East African countries have seen a marked decline in tourist arrivals and fishing yields. In the booming tourism sector, spending in East Africa since the surge in pirate activities has grown 25 percent more slowly than in other sub-Saharan African countries. Similarly, exports of fish products from piracy-affected countries compared to other regions have dropped by 23.8 percent since 2006, in part due to falling production. Total catches of tuna in the Western Indian Ocean have declined by 26.8 percent as vessels relocated to safer fishing grounds.Somalia itself has also suffered considerably from the impact of piracy. Increased trade costs are estimated to cost the country US$6 million annually; and this figure does not take into account that Somalia cannot develop and expand its maritime trade and fisheries as long as pirates are allowed to operate in its waters.In terms of the human cost of Somali piracy, as many as 3,741 crewmembers of 125 different nationalities have been captured, with detention periods as long as 1,178 days. As many as 97 sailors may have died either during the attacks, in detention after poor treatment, or during rescue operations.On the Somali side, the toll is also high; hundreds of pirates are believed to have died at sea. Somali piracy business is uniqueSince Somali piracy is largely a hijack-for-ransom business, it relies heavily on onshore support for infrastructure that provides food, water, fuel and the leafy narcotic khat to the militiamen who guard the hijacked ships throughout the ransom negotiation process. Somali pirates therefore need to secure regular access to the coast and protection against national and international law enforcement and competing criminal groups. The fact that pirates can anchor their hijacked vessels freely along the Somali shoreline reflects their ability to win support from government officials, business people, clan elders, militias, and local communities. In these anchorage locations, the pirates have been able to use a mixture of pay-offs and physical coercion to secure unhindered access to the coast for long periods. It is estimated that commanders and instigators in the Somali piracy business split 70 to 86 percent of piracy proceeds with these stakeholders, without whose support anchoring hijacked boats would not be possible“By better understanding how piracy has been enabled in towns and communities along the Somali coast gives the new government in Mogadishu and the international community a much better idea of the development policies and alliances that will be needed to end piracy in these hotspots and to re-establish a thriving new Somali state in East Africa,” says Bella Bird, the World Bank’s Country Director for Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan who is working closely with the government on its plans to re-establish essential services to the Somali population and bring the country onto a path growth and prosperity. Current anti-piracy approach needs changeThe 300:1 ratio of piracy’s global cost to the pirates’ annual ransom payments offers a powerful reason for international support for Somalia. Current onshore or offshore policies for curbing Somali piracy are either ineffective or likely unsustainable. Onshore interventions such as local economic development or law enforcement initiatives are intended to discourage young Somalis from becoming pirates by increasing the attractiveness of alternative jobs or by promising long prison terms in case of capture. As the reports cautions, however, pirates will simply offer higher pay rates to poor, unemployed Somali teenagers and young men to take the risk of capture or death at sea. While heavily-armed naval patrols and better security onboard commercial shipping are believed to explain why piracy plunged in 2011 and 2012, these measures are effective only as long as they stay in force.“Because of the high cost of these counter-measures, in the long run they may simply be unsustainable,” says report lead author Quy-Toan Do, a senior economist in the World Bank’s research department and the World Bank’s Vice Presidency for Africa. “Given how piracy off the Horn of Africa depends so heavily on onshore operations to sustain itself, any long-term solution therefore will involve forging a political contract with local power holders—a shift in attention, in other words, from the perpetrators to the enablers of piracy.” To view the full report please visit: http://www.worldbank.org/africa/piratesofsomalia Show Less -

IDA Credit: US$89.4 million equivalentTerms: Maturity = 40 years; Grace = 10 yearsProject ID: P094183Project Description: The objectives of the project are to increase the availability of improved agr... Show More +icultural technologies in participating countries in the Southern African Development Community region. Show Less -

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2013 – Despite the steady economic growth in many African countries over the last few years, gains have not always translated into greater gender equality or poverty reduction, th... Show More +e World Bank announced today. To mark International Women’s Day, the World Bank’s Africa region launched two evidence based initiatives to step up its commitment to improve gender programs in Africa. First is the Africa Gender Action Plan, a five year blueprint for the Bank’s gender informed activities. Next is the Gender Innovation Lab that will bring scientific solutions through rigorous impact evaluation that will transform how the World Bank will identify development solutions for some of its poorest clients. Combined, the World Bank Africa Gender Action Plan and Gender Innovation Lab will link scientific evidence to guide gender-related lending operations in Africa.“In the past decade, African countries have made some considerable strides when it comes to gender equality,” says Makhar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa. “Today, we have moved from an intuitive understanding of gender programs to add the Gender Innovation Lab that will fill the knowledge gap by providing more qualitative and quantitative evidence than ever about what works and what doesn’t in terms of gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa,” concludes Diop.On behalf of the World Bank, Diop said the new Gender Innovation Lab will provide development solutions to countries as it works to keep the momentum toward achieving gender equality in Africa.The World Bank’s Africa Gender Action Plan, the institution’s regional strategy for addressing gender inequality, will advance development for both men and women using the latest technological tools that provide evidence on the effectiveness of gender programs through its funding and operations.The Gender Innovation Lab, the first at the World Bank, brings science to improve delivery of its programs. The Lab already has over 20 impact evaluations under way, and they are providing clear evidence of what works. This week, The Gender Innovation Lab received financial support from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) in the amount of USD$18 million.Partnering with DFID and the government of Rwanda, a Lab impact evaluation showed how land title registration resulted in women increasing investments in land, at twice the level as men. Working with BRAC and researchers at the London School of Economics, another Lab impact evaluation showed that a program that provided life skills and vocational training through adolescent girls’ clubs resulted in 30 percent lower fertility, a 30 percent increase in the likelihood of girls working, and a 75 percent lower chance that they had been forced to have sex again their will. These are powerful lessons that show not only what works, but the payoffs to making these kinds of investments. Post-2015 Goals Must Include Non-Traditional VoicesShifts in global influence from large emerging economies and the private sector are challenging the traditional development paradigm, experts note. Experts also explain that global private sector firms are seeking to modernize their business models to match profits with responsibility through their supply chains, suggesting a post-2015 world will need to include new voices to the development debate. Experts agree that chief among the new voices should be women from developing countries. “I am proud to be the first person from the South, the first African, the first woman to head such a respected organization like Oxfam International,” says Winnie Byanyima, UNDP Director of Gender and Development and Oxfam Executive Director Designate. “I’m stepping into a very powerful space, and I’m conscious of that. I hope to bring the voices of poor men and women from my continent Africa and from the developing world to the global stage,” concludes Byanyima. For sub-Saharan Africa, The Bank notes that gender must be mainstreamed into all future development programs. However, it must also be a global priority.Gender Programs Are a Global PriorityGlobally, the World Bank is making financing available for gender equality by strengthening its monitoring and tracking systems, and by setting gender-related targets through the Bank’s corporate scorecard and in other ways.In 2012, for the first time in the series history, the World Bank’s World Development Report focused exclusively on gender equality and development."And it was about time,” says Caroline Anstey, World Bank Managing Director. “We know that equal opportunity, regardless of sex, is not only the right thing to do; it is also smart economics,” concludes Anstey.Underinvesting in women puts a brake on poverty reduction as, amongst other things, women usually reinvest a much higher portion of their earnings into their families and communities, compared to men," she adds.For its part, The World Bank is committing to funding more gender-related projects, to monitoring results more closely, and to making sure that more and more projects consider gender in their design, even if they do not have an explicit gender focus.In fiscal year 2012 alone, just over US$29 billion, or 83 percent of the World Bank's overall lending and grants, were allocated to gender-informed operations in education, health, access to land, financial and agricultural services, jobs, and infrastructure. Part of the reason for this is that, together with our partners, we made gender a Special Theme of the International Development Association (IDA), which provides close to $50 billion in credits and grants to the poorest countries between 2011 and 2014—many of which are in Africa.NOTE TO EDITORS:The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has a number of programmes to support gender programs in sub-Saharan Africa. On March 4, 2018, DFID committed up to £11.5 million (USD$18 million) to a new partnership with the World Bank, for a ‘Gender Innovation Lab’ on girls and women’s economic empowerment, testing what works in terms of giving girls and women control over their economic lives in sub-Saharan Africa. This evidence base isn’t just going to help DFID but also other governments, donors and NGOs. Show Less -